[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO COACH PAUL BRIGGS

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                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 31, 2011

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Coach 
Paul Briggs, a great football coach who passed away on Monday, February 
14, 2011, at the age of 90. Coach Briggs was Bakersfield High School's 
head football coach from 1953-1985. During those 33 seasons, his teams 
won 210 games, including four Central Section championships.
  Coach Briggs was born in Providence, Rhode Island and grew up in 
Grand Junction, Colorado. He joined the Navy in 1943 and earned a 
Bronze Star for bravery and a Purple Heart. He played football at the 
University of Colorado and on the 1948 Detroit Lions. Then, Coach 
Briggs began his coaching career in 1949 at Rocky Ford High School in 
Colorado.
  Continuously recognized for his great achievements in sports, Coach 
Briggs was a member of numerous halls of fame: the California Coaches 
Association Hall of Fame, Bob Elias Kern County Hall of Honor, 
Bakersfield High School Driller Football Hall of Fame, the University 
of Colorado Hall of Fame, and Citizens Athletic Foundation High School 
Hall of Fame. As a former player on one of Coach Briggs' Drillers 
teams, he was extremely knowledgeable about the game and was a 
tremendous leader.
  Coach Briggs left Bakersfield High School after the 1985 season and 
continued his work with young athletes coaching at Orange Coast 
College. He spent 20 years there before retiring in 2005, having spent 
57 years as a football coach.
  Coach Briggs was a local icon and served as a great role model for 
the thousands of athletes he coached and taught during his career. He 
is survived by his daughter Paula and son-in-law Tom Parsons, grandsons 
Russell and Kevin Parsons, sisters Virginia Wilhite and Janet Dodrill, 
and his five nieces and six nephews.

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